Conventional direct current plasma display panels (hereinafter referred to as PDP) as shown in FIG. 1, are constructed such that a plurality of anodes A and cathodes K are respectively arranged in an X/Y matrix on the inner surfaces of two parallel substrates 10, 20 and barrier ribs of a certain height for preventing crosstalk are formed between the anodes A. The PDP's anodes A and cathodes K are exposed to the inner space defined by the two substrates and filled with discharge gas, and a DC discharge occurs at each pixel, i.e., the intersection of a cathode K and an anode A, the location of which is selected by a drive voltage momentarily applied to the anode/cathode matrix. When discharge occurs between the anodes and cathodes, discharge light composed of negative glow from the cathodes and positive glow from the anodes is emitted. It is the negative glow which directly contributes to image display.
The conventional direct current PDPs are inefficient in utilizing space because the volume of a barrier rib is much larger than the volume of the discharge space. Therefore, cathodes and anodes become elongated while their width should be limited to a certain degree, which increases their electric resistance. As a result, a voltage drop is created due to the high resistance thereby weakening the discharge intensity between the cathodes and anodes. To solve this problem, the initial discharge voltage and the sustained discharge voltage should be increased by raising the voltage applied across the cathodes and anodes. The voltage drop becomes greater as the distance between where the voltage is applied lengthens. Therefore, image luminance is nonlinear.